Mast wire inspection plate

[Capt Robbie]

I had to have my mast unstepped to replace all standing rigging and replace a deck light. Fairly simple end of season project. Before mast was pulled confirmed with yard foreman and documented that all electrical systems worked. Did all the work myself because as most people know marina techs charge a fortune. After the mast was down I labeled all wire harnesses clearly. Replaced deck light and rigging
And had the mast stepped in the spring. Unfortunately after the mast was stepped the winddex didn't work. I suspected a bad connection at one of the wire harnesses due to everything worked before thy pulled the mast. Yard foreman was convinced it was the unit.

Well, after much wasted time,money, and aggravation of sending the unit out for repair the unit continued to short out upon instalation. Rather than paying for the mast to be unstepped again I contacted Kenyon spars about how to gain access to the wiring Chanel. They suggested to cut an inspection hole into the side of the mast to access the wire harness.

My main concern was if I cut an access hole will it compromise the integrity of the mast. There engineer told me that they do this all the time and that the have a stock inspection plate cover they could ship me. They said that I needed to drill four holes into the corners of the access cut out and to keep them rounded as I cut out the access. They said that this will keep the corners from cracking and it distributes the pressure equally.

Said a prayer and got up some courage to Use a Dremel tool with cutting wheel and carefully preformed surgery on the mast.

Worked like a champ!!

Pull the harness out and found out what the problem was instantly.
Turned out that marine tech that connected the wire harness was an absolute idiot.
They criss crossed the wires. Positive to negative causing a direct short, no dielectric grease. OMG! How stupid can you be. Especially when the wires were marked.

This is why I hate to have the yard touch my boat for anything. Generally speaking most yards do sub par work especially if you don't watch them like a hawk, charge you a small fortune, and most of the time not up to my standards.
Fortunately the yard owner is doing the right thing and crediting me for all of my expenses and time.

On a positive note, everything works great

now and if I ever need to make any future repairs I have a nice water prof access plate upgrade that I did not have to pay for.

 

[kloudie1]

Thanks for the picture, Robbie !

 

[Don Crowther]

this on my to do list thanks for posting
thanks Robbie

 

[Rich Stidger]

Thanks for your post. I may need to do something similar to gain access to the wire bundle that passes through my deck inside the mast. After I had my mast re-stepped 2 years ago I have been fighting a water leak that I just can't stop from below. I am considering trying the spray rubber sealant available at hardware stores but I need to spray it inside the mast- hence I need a small access hole.

 

[Johann]

Super! I have been thinking about just such an access plate. Do you know the dimensions and thickness of the plate off hand?

 

[Capt Robbie]

Johann,
The cut out is 3" x 1-1/4" and the actual cover plate is 4-1/2 x 2"
The thickness I think is 1/16" anodized aluminum stock I bought from ace hardware.

Shaped it to conform to mast bend by placing it between two deck planks and tapping it with a block of wood and hammer.
Or you can order one from Rig right part #RR-72-99 electrical access plate for about $30 plus shipping.

I made mine for about $5 and made a rubber gasket to fit behind the plate plus I silicon the out side to me it look nicer.

Hope this helps

 

[Johann]

Sure does. Thanks!

 

[jssailem]

I have been fighting a water leak that I just can't stop from below.

Rich. Is the water coming in where the wire come thru the deck? If the mast is deck stepped, have you cleaned the weep holes at the bottom of the mast? Water gets inside the mast. It is supposed to drip to the base then out weep holes at the base. If these get plugged, then water will fill up the bottom of the mast till it does not. Try to clear any weep holes where the mast meets the base. If no weep hole try adding one to see if water escapes. This may be the cause of your water intrusion.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Rich. Is the water coming in where the wire come thru the deck? <snip> This may be the cause of your water intrusion.

Yes there is a weep hole and it is completely clear. Yes the water is dripping off the wire bundle that comes through the deck. The physical setup is as follows:
The bundle of wires pass through a piece of PVC tube that is 2¼” long and 1½” diameter. The deck thickness is 1-1/8”. The wires in the tube are packed with sealant, but it is very hard to get any sealant to flow between all of the wires to seal all the small passages around the wires. The PVC tube is fastened into the snug-fitting hole in the deck with sealant. The bottom of the tube that exits into the cabin is just below the fiberglass, so that means that the top of the tube is 1" above the level of the deck inside the mast. That means that the water would have to rise a full inch before it would enter the top of the tube with the wires. The weep hole is at the very bottom of the mast step.
I observe water to drip off the wires themselves from the center of the PVC tube. No water is coming in around the PVC tube where it meets the deck. I get water when it rains and also if I spray into small holes in the mast above the bottom where vang hardware was mounted. I could certainly seal those small holes but I still get water in when it rains. If I spray a hose right at the bottom of the mast and flood the deck by the weep hole, I don't get any water.
I have already pulled the PVC tube out once and tried to re-seal the wires with a liquid sealer with minimal success. The amount of water entry was less, but any at all is unacceptable.
The pictures below show the PVC tube with the wire bundle, the deck hole that the PVC tube passes, the sealant coating the top of the wires in the tube before insertion, and the bottom of the tube. In desperation I have smeared and worked sealant as best I could into the wires coming out of the tube.
Still no joy.

 

[jssailem]

Rich.
When I installed my mast we used short length of pipe.


We ran the wires through a length of hose. This helped to create a drip loop in the wire. Water will come down the wire drop off the loop not riding up into the hose and accumulate at the base. The pipes are sealed to the metal pipes and the water will exit the weep holes

 

[Rich Stidger]

Rich.
When I installed my mast we used short length of pipe.

View attachment 132457
We ran the wires through a length of hose. This helped to create a drip loop in the wire. Water will come down the wire drop off the loop not riding up into the hose and accumulate at the base. The pipes are sealed to the metal pipes and the water will exit the weep holes
View attachment 132456

I didn't change the way the factory routed the wires. I didn't have any problem until the mast was re-stepped. Anyway unless I suffer the expense and work of another un-step/re-step, I can't do your method. Glad you had the forethought to do it this way. Since I never had a problem previously, I thought all would be good.

 

[jssailem]

I suspect before you had a drip loop. Maybe not as specific as my method but a driploop none the less. Now the wires are maybe more inline with the pvc pipe you mentioned. Wonder if you can induce a drip loop be pushing the wires back up into the mast from where the enter the cabin. The key is someway for the water that is coming down the wires to dip off the wire rather than following the wire into the cabin.

There is no way to assure that no water will get into the mast. Only a plan to manage the water once inside.